The ASUS RT-AC5300 has done well in tests and is recommended as a top gaming router but the other 2 aren't great value for the speeds they throughput. Better off with the WRT3200 than the cheaper two.

11th Sep 2017

Great find, shame I only recently purchased my router :-/

11th Sep 2017

All excellent routers really.

AC3200 is well worth the extra £12 over the AC87.

Just a wee bit more solid (it's got a Broadcom chipset and there's probably a good reason the chap that develops the Merlin firmware doesn't seem particularly fond of the AC87).

11th Sep 2017

Grabbed an RT-AC87U on Prime day and am really impressed so far. Boosted my range by a fair bit and the speeds are pretty damn good. The VPN function is also cracking, super useful when away from home. Can stream a 720p movie to my phone, but 1080p and above gets a bit flakey.

11th Sep 2017

I have the RT-AC3200 - fab router and has been rock solid stability wise.

All excellent routers really.AC3200 is well worth the extra £12 over the …All excellent routers really.AC3200 is well worth the extra £12 over the AC87.Just a wee bit more solid (it's got a Broadcom chipset and there's probably a good reason the chap that develops the Merlin firmware doesn't seem particularly fond of the AC87).

Broadcom. "Shudders

11th Sep 2017

Could anyone advise if one of these would be an upgrade from the BT Smart hub for fibre optic broadband?

11th Sep 2017

"Gaming" and "4K UHD" video support. I'd like to see them back that up in court!

A potato would be an upgrade over the BT Smart hub.Pick up an openreach …A potato would be an upgrade over the BT Smart hub.Pick up an openreach modem and one of these routers and it will do you for years.

What does your Smart Hub struggle to do, out of interest? Just curious, …What does your Smart Hub struggle to do, out of interest? Just curious, since mine works flawlessly.

To be honest it works "ok". It's just that I was expecting a significant improvement over the 4 year old Hub it replaced. Subjectively it doesn't seem much quicker, perhaps my expectations are too high.

What does your Smart Hub struggle to do, out of interest? Just curious, …What does your Smart Hub struggle to do, out of interest? Just curious, since mine works flawlessly.

I got the latest BT hub. It works well but doesn't reach as far my previous VM router even though it is placed in the same location. I'm on the hunt for another router[or range extender] that reaches the back of the house.

To be honest it works "ok". It's just that I was expecting a significant …To be honest it works "ok". It's just that I was expecting a significant improvement over the 4 year old Hub it replaced. Subjectively it doesn't seem much quicker, perhaps my expectations are too high.

Quicker at doing what? It's not going to make your broadband faster.

Only genuine concerns I've seen about the Smart Hub are concerning the range, which you can overcome with repeaters.

I never thought I would game over Wifi, but with the Smart Hub (and an Archer T9E, an 802.11ac Dual Band wifi card, in my PC) I get rock solid ping during online gaming, and I can stream 4K games from the PC to the TV.

The Smart Hub is great, but you need to have ideal conditions. Buying a new expensive router isn't going to solve your problems is your home is massive, your walls are thick, or your devices have old slow wifi cards.

11th Sep 2017

i'm very much a novice when it comes to routers and always see post's with similar looking routers. I'm just wondering if anyone can a give a simple pro and con to these over my virgin media router? cheers

11th Sep 2017

If you are serious about gaming, the best option is an ethernet cable.Obligatory xkcd. xkcd.com/654/

If you are serious about gaming, the best option is an ethernet …If you are serious about gaming, the best option is an ethernet cable.Obligatory xkcd. https://xkcd.com/654/

"serious about gaming"

LUL

Like I've said (until I'm blue in the face), of course Ethernet is the optimal solution, BUT in ideal conditions (i.e no massive thick walls) with a decent WiFi card in your PC, gaming is perfectly fine over WiFi

Edited by: "johnthehuman" 11th Sep 2017

11th Sep 2017

Heard bad things about the ac3200 but good things about the ac2400 - still abit dear though.

Have a look at the warehouse deals with an extra 20% off, managed to get the d link for 890 for 95!

All excellent routers really.AC3200 is well worth the extra £12 over the …All excellent routers really.AC3200 is well worth the extra £12 over the AC87.Just a wee bit more solid (it's got a Broadcom chipset and there's probably a good reason the chap that develops the Merlin firmware doesn't seem particularly fond of the AC87).

Can you point me to any forums posts that the developer has commented on this? I have been struggling to decide between these routers. Ta!

"serious about gaming" LULLike I've said (until I'm blue in the face), of …"serious about gaming" LULLike I've said (until I'm blue in the face), of course Ethernet is the optimal solution, BUT in ideal conditions (i.e no massive thick walls) with a decent WiFi card in your PC, gaming is perfectly fine over WiFi

Depends if the old lady upstairs makes her bedtime Ovaltine at 10pm in a 1980s Microwave and your WiFi drops out for 5 minutes due to all the interference as happened to me a few years ago.

2.4GHz is unregulated and way too crowded for a reliable low latency signal in most urban areas now. I'll web browse on wireless, but gaming and media streaming is etherneted now.

Edited by: "MagicBoy" 11th Sep 2017

11th Sep 2017

Why do all the top routers look like they're designed for 12yr olds? Don't get me wrong im a gamer, i'm all good with modding pc's etc but when it comes to my router which will likely be in a central/visible location in my house I want it to look discrete and blend in NOT look like a bloomin' transformer!
Asus really should at least make these in a white colour.

?Broadcom chips in the AC5300. The same Broadcom chips in the AC3200 chips …?Broadcom chips in the AC5300. The same Broadcom chips in the AC3200 chips are used in pretty much all the equivalent AC routers by other manufacturers as well.Solid as in my experience. You must have got a bad one.

It's generally bad to go with a Broadcom router if you need custom firmware.

Depends if the old lady upstairs makes her bedtime Ovaltine at 10pm in a …Depends if the old lady upstairs makes her bedtime Ovaltine at 10pm in a 1980s Microwave and your WiFi drops out for 5 minutes due to all the interference as happened to me a few years ago.2.4GHz is unregulated and way too crowded for a reliable low latency signal in most urban areas now. I'll web browse on wireless, but gaming and media streaming is etherneted now.

So most new routers have 5Ghz band(s). I wouldn't game on 2.4 GHz, but 5Ghz for me is as reliable as Ethernet.

13th Sep 2017

Just brought the ASUS RT-AC5300, as it's OOS, just waiting for an update

Have a RT-AC68U and have Merlin on it as its not altered just enhanced and …Have a RT-AC68U and have Merlin on it as its not altered just enhanced and love the router with switch and AP connected to it fab

AC68 is probably the best bang for your buck router going once you've Merlin on it tbh.